Fluid in the left front of my neck

I had a CSF leak that came about about six weeks after I had a shunt surgery. The CSF actually popped through part of the incision on the side of my head that had not healed all the way. For two days I was in the hospital staying upright. After two days, the skin healed up and they assumed the leak stopped too. I went back to the NS who did the surgery and told him about the leak and he felt I was fine. He did a lot of tests and did not seem concerned, but I never got a conclusive answer to if I was still leaking. For three years now I have had intense head pain when changing positions and exercising. I had surgery this last July and they found a broken shunt valve. Here is my problem. For over a year, or more, but I can't remember....I have had swelling that is fluid on the left side of my neck and under my chin. This fluid increases when I exercise and sometimes first thing in the morning. It does go down to a small amount of swelling as I am upright in the morning or a few hours after exercising. Could i have a cranial leak? I asked my current NS this and he really did not want to look into it for the reason that it is complicated to deal with and he really thought the cause was a broken shunt. I am being passed around from one doc to the next, but know from an Ultrasound the other day that there is in fact fluid on the left side of my neck and under the chin. Could this be something other than a CSF leak that i have not thought of? Advice? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

I too have both... a leak and Hydrocephalus... you have a broken either shunt line or your shunt line connection to the reservoir or pump what ever it's called... I don't think I have ever known. What ever the problem is I would put money on the shunt ... get it replaced along with the line. I know they are not supposed to have fluid back up however if you are very constipated or have some sort of a blockage in the abdominal line and the fluid has no where to go it may and that too may be what your having leaked... It screams emergency to me because if the line is blocked and the csf can't escape... um infection is waiting... let me know how it goes... send me a message... Connie ( Dagaz)

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